Documentary photographer Lee Craker traveled to northern Thailand to study the plight of the Asian elephant. What he found is an industry fueled by greed and funded by tourism with little regard for the future of this noble animal. He also found dedicated people committed to helping the endangered elephants. This book came to be out of a request from one of Thailand's most prominent elephant activists, Lek Chailert, who when asked what could be done to save the elephants of Thailand, said, "Please educate people." This cry for education was shared by other prominent elephant activists in Thailand who played a large part in the research and and development of this book, I am indebted to John Roberts, Dan Bucknell, Carol Stevenson and many others who are fighting for the elephants in Thailand and around the world.

New research into human and animal consciousness, a heightened awareness of the methods and consequences of intensive farming, and modern concerns about animal welfare and ecology are among the factors that have made our relationship to animals an area of burning interest in contemporary philosophy. Utilizing methods inspired by Ludwig Wittgenstein, the contributors to this volume explore this area in a variety of ways. Topics discussed include: * scientific vs. non-scientific ways of describing human and animal behaviour* the ethics of eating particular animal species* human nature, emotions, and instinctive reactions* responses of wonder towards the natural world* the moral relevance of literature* the concept of dignity* the question of whether non-human animals can use languageThis book will be of great value to anyone interested in philosophical and interdisciplinary issues concerning language, ethics and humanity's relation to animals and the natural world.

This book examines one of the most pressing cultural concerns that surfaced in the last decade - the question of the place and significance of the animal. This collection of essays represents the outcome of various conversations regarding animal studies and shows multidisciplinarity at its very best, namely, a rigorous approach within one discipline in conversation with others around a common theme. The contributors discuss the most relevant disciplines regarding this conversation, namely: philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, theology, history of religions, archaeology and cultural studies. The first section, Thinking about Animals, explores philosophical, anthropological and religious perspectives, raising general questions about the human perception of animals and its crucial cultural significance. The second section explores the intriguing topic of the way animals have been used historically as religious symbols and in religious rituals. The third section re-examines some Christian theological and biblical approaches to animals in the light of current concerns. The final section extends the implications of traditional views about other animals to more specific ethical theories and practices.

Ernest is an elephant, one of thousands of elephants kept in zoos and circuses for the amusement of humans. Throughout the day, humans stare at him and make silly faces. At night, he's confined to a tiny enclosure.

Born in captivity, Ernest has no idea about life in the wild, where close-knit families of elephants live as long as humans-presuming humans let them. His first elephant friend, wild born Frankie, tells Ernest all about the pleasures of living wild, and the family he misses so much.

When humans send Ernest to the circus to perform, he meets other wild born elephants, including wise old Mary and majestic, motherly Eve. Ernest learns more about what he's been denied even as he discovers the rigorous, sometimes brutal world of circus training.

A somber but ultimately hopeful tale told from an elephant's point of view, "Through the Eyes of Ernest "asks us to consider why we keep such intelligent, social animals in captivity.

The great apes -- gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans -- are known to be our closest living relatives. Chimpanzees in particular share 98 percent of our DNA, and scientists widely agree that they exhibit intellectual abilities long thought to be unique to humans, such as self-awareness and the ability to interpret the moods and identify the needs of others. The close relation of apes to humans raises important ethical questions. Are they better protected in the wild or in zoos? Should they be used in biomedical research? Should they be afforded the same legal protections as humans?
Great Apes and Humans is the first book to present a spectrum of viewpoints on human responsibilities toward great apes. A variety of field biologists, academic scientists, zoo professionals, psychologists, sociologists, ethicists, and legal scholars consider apes in both the wild and captivity. They present sobering statistics on the declining numbers of wild apes, specifically discussing the decimation of great ape populations due to wild game consumption. They explore the role of apes in the educational missions of zoos as well as the need for sanctuaries for wild ape orphans and former research subjects. After examining the social division between apes and humans from historical, evolutionary, and cognitive perspectives, they conclude by reviewing the current moral and legal status of great apes as well as how apes' cognitive skills inform these issues.
Although this provocative book contains many different opinions, the uniting concern of the contributors is the safety and well-being of great apes. Only by continuing the dialogue so clearly presented here can we hope to ensure their future.

From Mickey Mouse to the teddy bear, from the Republican elephant to the use of "jackass" as an all-purpose insult, images of animals play a central role in politics, entertainment, and social interactions. In this penetrating look at how Western culture pictures the beast, Steve Baker examines how such images--sometimes affectionate, sometimes derogatory, always distorting--affect how real animals are perceived and treated. Baker provides an animated discussion of how animals enter into the iconography of power through wartime depictions of the enemy, political cartoons, and sports symbolism. He examines a phenomenon he calls the "disnification" of animals, meaning a reduction of the animal to the trivial and stupid, and shows how books featuring talking animals underscore human superiority. He also discusses how his findings might inform the strategies of animal rights advocates seeking to call public attention to animal suffering and abuse. Until animals are extricated from the baggage of imposed images, Baker maintains, neither they nor their predicaments can be clearly seen. For this edition, Baker provides a new introduction, specifically addressing an American audience, that touches on such topics as the Cow Parade, animal imagery in the presidential race, and animatronic animals in recent films.

If you love animals and are dismayed when you see stories of animal abuse and cruelty in the news; if you ever wished you could do something about it, but you just didn't know where to start, this book has you covered. Just 30 seconds a day on the Internet can not only make a difference, but can also change the world. This inspiring, informative and highly useful resource is for novices as well as experienced animal rescuers. Combining case histories with practical tips, this guide demonstrates how to use the Internet to advocate for dogs; from simple clicks to more advanced methods. This guide will show you how just one person can put change in motion. Award-Winning Finalist in the Animals/Pets category of The 2013 USA Best Book Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

Animals are our best friends, and they are one of the best gifts that life has to offer. We need to care for animals, and treat them the way, that we want to be treated, and that is with love, kindness, and respect, because the animals of the world are also our future. This is a rhyming children's book, that will teach young children the importance of caring for animals, and it will show them that an animal is more than just a cute and cuddly friend, because they also need our love and gentle care.

Pure gold and deeply thought-provoking. This is the second generously sized instalment of Dr Jackie Jones-Hunt's paradigm shattering Animal Souls serialized research. The first instalment being the acclaimed Proof Animals Have Souls. These instalments are receiving scores of fantastic reviews from professors, animal charities, celebrities and old and young lay people who feel they are spiritually inclined or simply have an interest in or love of animals or family pet. All readers will have their curiosity satisfied as all want to know where our beloved animal companions go at death and if we too, survive physical death and if we will all be reunited in the end. In this yet again meticulously researched volume we continue to learn that the world's greats from the beginning of time to present day taught and continue to teach the human animal to elevate his/her spirituality to embrace all-inclusive compassion for fellow animals who share this planet with us. Here, we learn what the great teachers of the world had to say about the callously indifferent cruelty humanity inflicts on animals leading to violence, murder and war for humanity. We learn that our actions implicate us in the shared responsibility for the mass-slaughter of animals and most individuals have unknowingly played his/her part in creating the current multi-million dollar animal slaughter industry. One American pre-publication review, highly recommending this serialization, stated all animals will applaud the compassionate world this well-researched work can create. This volume provides an invaluable summary of quotations from the most elevated spiritual teachers and prophets to those who have made and continue to make great contributions to the world. This is a great book to dip into and use as a reference manual for all ages especially those who consider themselves to be environmentally aware and/or spiritual truth-seekers.

The Fourth Seal ...and when I had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say "Come and see," And I looked and behold a running pale dead animal. And the name of he who sat on the animal ...was Death, and Hell followed ...them. And power was given unto them over the four parts of the earth, to kill with the beasts of the earth ...-From the Book of Revelation Animals that have been skinned for their furs are coming back to life and skinning the people wearing their furs! Animals have been hunted and killed for thousands of years. They were part of God's food chain and kept everyone alive. For the last one hundred years, furs have become charmingly fashionable; and now animals are skinned for just their furs. Their bloody remains and bodies are left to rot. Skinz follows the lives and family stories of furry animals that ultimately end up being skinned for their pelts to create coats for undeserving humans. Integrating real facts with their stories, Stevens paints a realistic picture of the torture that the animals experience in the creation of these garments. Now it's the animals' turn to repay mankind ...and they're pissed!

Humans encounter and use animals in a stunning number of ways. The nature of these animals and the justifiability or unjustifiabilitly of human uses of them are the subject matter of this volume. Philosophers have long been intrigued by animal minds and vegetarianism, but only around the last quarter of the twentieth century did a significant philosophical literature begin to be developed on both the scientific study of animals and the ethics of human uses of animals. This literature had a primary focus on discussion of animal psychology, the moral status of animals, the nature and significance of species, and a number of practical problems. This Oxford Handbook is designed to capture the nature of the questions as they stand today and to propose solutions to many of the major problems. Several chapters in this volume explore matters that have never previously been examined by philosophers. The authors of the thirty-five chapters come from a diverse set of philosophical interests in the History of Philosophy, the Philosophy of Mind, the Philosophy of Biology, the Philosophy of Cognitive Science, the Philosophy of Language, Ethical Theory, and Practical Ethics. They explore many theoretical issues about animal minds and an array of practical concerns about animal products, farm animals, hunting, circuses, zoos, the entertainment industry, safety-testing on animals, the status and moral significance of species, environmental ethics, the nature and significance of the minds of animals, and so on. They also investigate what the future may be expected to bring in the way of new scientific developments and new moral problems. This book of original essays is the most comprehensive single volume ever published on animal minds and the ethics of our use of animals.

Global trade in illegal wildlife is a growing illicit economy, estimated to be worth at least $5 billion and potentially in excess of $20 billion annually. Some of the most lucrative illicit wildlife commodities include tiger parts, caviar, elephant ivory, rhino horn, and exotic birds and reptiles. Demand for illegally obtained wildlife is ubiquitous, and some suspect that illicit demand may be growing. This book provides an overview of illegal wildlife crime with a focus on determining funding levels for U.S. wildlife trade inspection and investigation; evaluating the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid to combat the wildlife trade; using trade sanctions to penalise foreign countries with weak enforcement of wildlife laws; incorporating wildlife trade provisions into free trade agreements; and addressing the domestic and international demand for illegal wildlife through public awareness campaigns and non-governmental organisation partnerships.

As a Navy SEAL on combat deployment in Iraq, Mike Ritland saw a military working dog in action and instantly knew he'd found his true calling. Ritland started his own company, training and supplying dogs for the SEAL teams, US Government, and Department of Defence. He knew that fewer than 1 per cent of all working dogs had what it takes to contribute to the success of our nation's elite combat units, and began searching the globe for animals who fit this specific profile. The results were a revelation: highly trained working dogs capable of handling both detection and apprehension work in the most extreme environments and the tensest of battlefield conditions. Though fiercely aggressive and athletic, these dogs develop a close bond with their handlers and other team members. Truly integrating themselves into their units, these K9 warriors are much like their human counterparts-unwavering in their devotion to duty, strong enough and tough enough to take it to the enemy through pain, injury, or fear.

Life is all about variety, and no where is that truer than in the animal kingdom. There are different kinds of dogs, horses, fish, rabbits; you name it. This book will take you into the lives of many of those animals. If you didn't care before, or know that you should, remember that many of these creatures are vanishing from off the Earth. It's my job and yours to see to it that doesn't happen, or to at least slow the downward spiral. If you haven't been to your local zoo in a while, maybe today or tomorrow will be a good time to visit. Some of those same animals may not be here in ten or twenty years. Get to know many of them and get behind them; they all need our support.

How egocentric of humans to think we are the only beings who can think, feel, bond with others, etc. As the "dominating" species, we have a responsibility to care for and protect the entire planet, including the other animals. Those who describe animals as not having any thoughts or feelings come closer to the description they're trying to describe. Its enormously puzzling that extreme suffering only gets widely questioned if it is the suffering of members of the human species. It is extraordinary how many people just accept the appalling treatment of such a vast number of animals. Animals have souls and we have a duty to respect them Anything less is to deny one's humanity and one's own soul Numerous stories outlined in this book prove this point, beyond the shadow of a doubt.

"Astonishing . . . Moving." --"People "
""The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary" is an unflinching, visceral look at the emotional and physical damage--actual, real damage done to specific, individual apes--in some of America's most notorious biomedical research labs. It is also the story of humans who were driven to provide them with refuge, retirement . . . and, ultimately, their inherent right to dignity." --Sara Gruen, author of "Water for Elephants"
IN THE CANADIAN WILDERNESS, Gloria Grow has created a rehabilitation center like none other. Thirteen chimpanzees, rescued from zoos and medical testing laboratories, now call Fauna Sanctuary home. After decades of cruelty and deprivation, these resilient primates are finally free to eat, sleep, play, and roam in peace--all while fighting their personal demons. Primatologist and author Andrew Westoll lived and worked at Fauna one remarkable summer, and "The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary" is his poignant testimony to the capacity of these animals to heal--and to learn to be chimps again. This is an absorbing, bighearted story about the species more closely related to us than any other.

"There is plenty of moral outrage in this book, but there is also plenty of wonder . . . Impassioned and well reasoned." --"Cleveland Plain Dealer"

We're finally going to get the bill for the Industrial Age. If the projections are right, it's going to be a big one: the ecological collapse of the planet, says Jeremy Rifkin. At the dawn of the industrial age two hundred years ago, we took a wrong turn when we started living on nature's capital instead of nature's incomes. We started gorging upon resources that took nature millions of years to create. These resources were saved up by nature according to its own plan of functioning. Nature has her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we. We have one planet to live on and all our needs have to be satisfied with whatever is in here. We can not import a thing from other planets for our survival, no matter how much we advertise our dubious moon missions. All we can do is blow up billions and console the taxpayers with few rocks. This senseless exploitation of resources can not go on forever. This cradle to grave economics in which we turn every natural resource into a toxic waste is inherently unsustainable. In nature, there is no such thing as waste. So called waste generated by one living being is effectively utilized by another and so on until nothing is left. This is called the cycle of life. But today our linear system of living has replaced this natural cyclical system. This is where cow comes into picture. Living with cow is living on nature's incomes without depleting its capital resources. In the natural plan of Vedic living, human society depends on cows for its requirements of economic prosperity, food production, soil fertility, nutrition, healthcare, fuel supply, transport, spiritual wellbeing, sustainable development, individual and social peace, higher consciousness, development of human qualities, performance of religious duties, environmental protection, ecological preservation, advancement of art & culture, cottage industry etc. Many of the maladies staring in our face today can be traced to this factor - humanity distancing itself from the timeless culture of cow protection.

The term sacred cow finds its origin in the ancient Vedic tradition, dating back to thousands of years. What really prompted these folks to revere and worship the cows? Were they really so stupid as to worship an animal? Are we really that smart now to ridicule their idea? Why didn't they propose to worship any other animal like tiger, dog or monkey. This book delineates various aspects of cow sciences as presented by the voice of an old civilization, Vedas.

Renowned authority Marian Stamp Dawkins' new work presents an illuminating and urgent argument for the need to rethink animal welfare. In the vein of Temple Grandin's work, Dawkins explains that this welfare must be made to work in practice to have any effect, and cannot be tinged by anthropomorphism and claims of animal consciousness, which lack firm empirical evidence and are often freighted with controversy and high emotions. Instead, animal-welfare efforts must focus on science and on fully appreciating the critical role animals play in human welfare. With growing concern over such issues as climate change and food shortages, how we treat those animals on which we depend for survival needs to be put squarely on the public agenda. Dawkins seeks to do this by offering a more complete understanding of how animals help us. In the end, it is human self-interest that will drive changes in our treatment of animals. Taking positions that might surprise and will certainly challenge animal lovers, Dawkins presents a persuasive argument for why animals truly matter.

For the first time in history, humans sit unchallenged at the top of the food chain. As we encroach on the wild and a vast wave of extinctions gathers force, how has our relationship with animals changed? In this dazzling essay, Anna Krien investigates the world we have made and the complexity of the choices we face. From pets to the live cattle trade, from apex predators to scientific experiments, Krien shows how we should - and do - treat our fellow creatures. As she delves deeper, she finds that animals can trigger primal emotions in us, which we are often unwilling to acknowledge. This is a clear-eyed meditation on humanity and animality, us and them, that brings out the importance of animals in an unforgettable way. "I am not weighing up whether our treatment of animals is just, because it isn't. That age-old debate is a farce - deep down we all know it. The real question is, just how much of this injustice are we prepared to live with?" - Anna Krien, Us & Them About the Author: Anna Krien's first book, Into the Woods, won the Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Non-Fiction and the Victorian Premier's People's Choice Award. Her writing has been published in the Monthly, the Age, Best Australian Essays, Best Australian Stories and the Big Issue.